


her mum calls me love

by tinyrevolt



Category: Never Have I Ever (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:00:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23999389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinyrevolt/pseuds/tinyrevolt
Summary: (post season one)Even though Devi and her mom seemed to be good now, he was pretty sure Devi had a history of pushing back against things her mom wanted — or approved of.Ben is afraid that Devi will lose interest in him because her mom seems to like him.
Relationships: Ben Gross/Devi Vishwakumar
Comments: 34
Kudos: 376





	her mum calls me love

**Author's Note:**

> quarantine status day 50: i am posting fan fiction for the first time since like 2008 after staying up until 5 a.m. to write??? and the title is one direction???

When Devi and her mom come to Ben's house to pick up Devi's things, Dr. Vishwakumar invites Ben and his parents over for dinner to thank them for taking Devi in and keeping her safe.

In classic Gross fashion, his parents say they would love to and agree on a date -- and then suddenly there’s a gala or something and they're sorry, they wouldn't be bailing if it wasn't sooo important that they be there, they'll make it up to him, they promise.

Devi's mom assures Ben that his invitation still stands even without his parents, so he is once again going to be the fourth wheel at a Vishwakumar family dinner.

 _6:30 so if you're driving you're gonna wanna leave at 3 so you make it here in time. Maybe 2:30 just to be safe_ , Devi texts.

Ben spends an entire two minutes searching for the perfect snarky gif to send in response.

He’s still scrolling furiously when Devi texts again.

_What's taking so long with the gif search man? Did you have to drive to the gif store?_

Ben immediately shoots back a middle finger emoji. It is a sad attempt at a comeback and they both know it. She replies just as quickly.

_lol I win_

He locks his phone and tosses it onto the bed, riled up but unable to suppress a smile.

Ben does not drive to Devi's house. He takes a Lyft, but without the stress of being behind the wheel, he has no distraction from his thoughts during the ride.

Like how sweet her mom was to him at his house, taking him aside to quietly thank him for driving her to the beach and telling him she was glad Devi had a friend like him in her life.

And how even though Devi and her mom seemed to be good now, he was pretty sure Devi had a history of pushing back against things her mom wanted — or approved of.

Ben had broken up with Shira — he texted her "We need to talk,” she didn't respond but a minute later she added "single" with a string of suggestive emojis to her Instagram bio — but he and Devi hadn't really talked about what they were, or if they were even anything.

But it seemed like if he ever had a chance with her, it was now.

And now his mind was stuck on the thought of Dr. Vishwakumar heaping praise upon him over dinner and Devi growing more and more disgusted by him with every compliment.

As the car turned onto Devi's street, Ben steeled himself. He was going to have to do something he had never ever done before — be rude to someone's mom.

It turns out Ben might be literally incapable of being rude (on purpose). At a loss for what else to do and — despite his current goals re: making sure Devi doesn’t lose interest in him — afraid to actually cause any offense, he mostly just acts like he doesn’t hear what Dr. Vishwakumar said, then says “what?” instead of “I’m so sorry, could you repeat that?”

Devi’s mom doesn't seem to like him any less due to his behavior; she just seems concerned for Ben’s well-being. Judging from Devi’s expression, she is also concerned for Ben’s well-being, but in less of a motherly way and more of a “wtf is up with you” way.

(Devi had literally texted him “wtf is up with you” on the sly about five minutes into the dinner, but Ben hadn’t seen it. In his desperate brainstorming, being rude by pulling out his phone in the middle of dinner had somehow not occurred to him.)

He decides to excuse himself to the bathroom to regroup and maybe possibly do some quick research on how to make someone's mom hate you.

"I'll show you where it is," Devi says, leaping out of her seat as Ben stands.

"Oh, no, I remember--"

"I'll show you where it is," Devi repeats, louder.

She grips his elbow tightly when her mom and Kamala aren’t looking and practically pushes him up the stairs.

Once Devi seems to be satisfied they're safely out of view and out of earshot, she releases him with a shove.

"Okay, ow." Ben becomes very concerned with his elbow, checking to make sure she didn't cause any bruising or tear any skin or--

"What the hell," she asks flatly.

"What?" he replies, still avoiding her glare.

Devi grabs his chin, forcing him to turn his head and look at her with wide eyes.

"Why. Are you being. So weird?"

She lets him go.

He gulps, straightens his posture, blinks a few times, looks everywhere except at her, then finally sighs a little, deciding the truth is the best option (the decision is only a little bit influenced by his inability to quickly come up with a convincing lie).

"Your mom... likes me."

"I mean, kind of, I guess. When you’re not acting like a freak.”

"So I thought if you thought your mom... approved... of me... then you wouldn't be... interested... in me."

Devi laughs -- a single high-pitched "ha!" -- and puts a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh Benjamin," she says, shaking her head. "You're trying to make my mom hate you?"

Ben moves his free shoulder in a sort of embarrassed half-shrug.

"My guy, all I gotta do is tell her your tongue was in my mouth and she'll hate you instantly." She pauses and leans back. "Actually no!"

She presses her palms together and puts her fingers against her lips in mock contemplation.

"Telling her that would make her legit murder you. And I don't want that. Because I'm a good person. If you just want her to hate you, that'll take way less."

The tension eases out of Ben's shoulders as Devi continues to tease him.

After all these years of competition, Ben knows that Devi is very bad at hiding her true feelings. If his concern was valid, if he had hit on some truth in any way, she would have reacted... bigger. A stronger denial. A weird “chill as ice” overcompensating sort of denial.

He rolls his eyes to mask his relief, cutting her off with an "Alright, alright, I get it."

"Ben," Devi says. "You are a white teenage boy who has kissed her daughter. Don't worry." She pats his cheek. "She's gonna hate you."

Ben grabs Devi's hand before it falls back to her side and they stay like that for a moment, holding each other's gaze as Devi's playful smile fades into something different.

“What if she didn’t, though? Hypothetically,” he asks. Just to be sure.

Devi’s chin drops and she shrugs a little.

“That wouldn’t… matter,” she says, talking to a spot on the wall behind Ben. “It wouldn’t change what I think. Or feel. Or whatever.” She pauses, then meets his gaze again. “Stupid,” she adds, but there’s no sting behind it, like she was just trying to downplay her answer. Make it seem like what she had just said was no big deal.

He starts to lean, or she does, or maybe both—

"Devi? Ben? Is everything alright?"

Her mom is only calling from the bottom of the stairs, but they still spring apart, backs pressed against opposite sides of the hallway.

"Yeah, mom," Devi yells, moving quickly to the top of the staircase. She stops and turns to look at Ben. “Can you please be normal now?"

“Yeah. Yes. Totally normal."

She nods, a hint of a grin on her face as she continues down the stairs.

As soon as he sits back down, Ben turns on the charm he usually uses on parents, teachers and other authoritative figures with generally successful results.

Dr. Vishwakumar seems pleased by his change in demeanor while Devi rolls her eyes before dropping her gaze to her lap.

She looks up and locks eyes with him after a few seconds and a moment later he feels his phone buzz in his pocket. This time, he sneaks a glance while Devi's mom and Kamala are busy with one of the pots of food.

_I immediately regret asking you to be normal._

He glances quickly at Dr. Vishwakumar and Kamala before responding.

_Sorry, now I’m gonna do everything I can to win your mom over. Just to annoy you._

_Well you’re certainly not gonna do that by USING YOUR PHONE AT THE DINNER TABLE IN SOMEONE ELSE’S HOME, Benjamin._

Devi's mom turns her attention back to Ben, and he quickly slides his phone back into his pocket.

Devi smirks. His phone buzzes again, but he ignores it while Devi folds her hands on top of the table innocently.

Ben doesn't have the opportunity to sneak another glance until they're clearing the table.

_I win._

When he looks up, Devi is grinning triumphantly.

Ben shakes his head, trying to contain his own smile.

He’s never been so glad to lose to Devi Vishwakumar.

That being said, he is definitely going to get back at her, though.


End file.
